Abrariel followed the Angel to a room down the hallway, very aware that the house was becoming brighter with sunlight. The Angel opened the door and stepped in, Abrariel started to follow but the Angel stopped him with a hand to his chest. The Angel's hand was warm. Life Angel Abrariel thought. Jeremiah had told him about them once. They were Angel's full of light, love, and goodness, never to commit a Sin. The hand on his chest was the one with the brand, this Angel had committed a Sin, Abrariel didn't get time to see what one before the hand was lowered.
"The room is full of sunlight, let me close the curtains and windows before you enter," the Angel murmured heading into the room.
Abrariel nodded mutely, right then all he could think of was sleep and food, the Angel called from within the room, "you can come in now!"
Abrariel headed inside the dark room. There was a queen-size bed in the middle of the room made up with a feather soft white quilt and pillows, while the headboards he could see were brown. Next to the bed were two wooden bedside tables simply carved, each had a white topped lamp sitting atop it. There was a dresser on one side of the room with a wall mirror above it, framed in gold. And there was a whitewood door on the right wall, a window was on either side of the bed, curtains drawn tight to block the sunlight.
"What's behind the door?" Abrariel asked turning to the Angel who had walked over to him and lent on the door frame.
"The bathroom," was the answer, "it's dark in there too."
Abrariel went and sat on the bed, thinking of blood, he felt his fangs nick his bottom lip and blood entered his mouth, his stomach rumbled. He looked up at the Angel who was watching him, wings folded behind his back.
"What about food?"
"I have to go and get it," the Angel apologized, looking away and letting his wings droop an inch, "just try and get some sleep in the meantime," he added leaving the room.
Abrariel got under the quilt, it was softer than anything he had slept on, and he liked the large bed. So much room! Much different from his narrow bed he had had at home. However, even though the bed was soft, he couldn't sleep, no matter what he did. He tried to stop thinking of blood and just sleep, but he couldn't, he was way to hungry. He groaned and rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling his stomach rumbling loudly, begging to be filled. His mouth felt very dry, like sandpaper against the roof of his mouth. He needed blood, and he needed it now!
Abrariel didn't know how long he had been there, on his back, looking at the white roof and listing to his stomach when the door of his room opened, and the Angel came in with a large glass bottle in his hands. It larger than the milk bottles he was used to, and was filled almost to the top with crimson-coloured blood. Abrariel sat bolt upright like he had been shocked; he snatched the bottle from the Angel when it was in reach. He ripped the lid off the top and started gulping it down greedily, little streams of blood running down his chin and dripping onto the quilt, staining it crimson. The sudden copper tang of the blood sharpened his senses and made him long for more.
The Angel pulled the bottle away gently. "Easy there, you will make yourself sick," he murmured letting Abrariel catch his breath a little bit, out of habit, before giving the bottle back to him.
When Abrariel finished he looked at the Angel, "thank you,' he muttered, the words felt strange on his tongue when uttered to this stranger. He looked at the quilt, "sorry about the quilt."
"Don't worry about it, I can wash it. Now, there is more in the fridge but out there is flooded by sunlight, I will bring more to you in a few hours. In the meantime, get some sleep," the Angel murmured heading to the door, the now empty bottle with him.
"Uh, just to let you know Angel," Abrariel started as he got back under the quilt, "something other than lamb's blood next time, I hate lamb's blood," he closed his eyes and didn't catch the Angel's slightly hurt look.
*
Raziel went to the living room and sat down on one of the green sofas. He contemplated shutting the curtains in here so the Vampire could roam but remembered that he was nocturnal. Raziel wanted to keep an eye on the Vampire the first night, or at least give him the ground rules before he did anything. Raziel wasn't nocturnal, but he could easily keep himself awake while he watched over his Vampire son. He felt suddenly excited, he was finally a father!
even if not by blood, I'm sure my parents will be happy, he thought as he left the sofa, a smile on his face. He didn't know if Vampires were allowed in Heaven, but he wasn't a Demon, surely it wasn't a Sin to bring one here. He looked at his hand where the Sin mark burned bright as day. It wasn't my fault...
He didn't need another Sin mark.
*
When Abrariel woke, the sun had set below the clouds, bathing Heaven in darkness and stars. Through the closed curtains, Abrariel could just see around his room. But he didn't need any light, as he woke up more, he could see just fine. He noticed a bottle on the bedside table closest to him. It was full of blood, and a note was attached. He read the note as he drank. The wretched taste of lamb's blood filed his mouth. The stupid Angel hadn't listened to him! He turned his attention back to the note in his hands, it was written in curly, old fashioned writing, but he could just read it.
I'm so sorry to disappoint you with more lamb's blood, but I could only get lamb's blood, I will get a different kind next time.
So, the Angel had listened, he had just gotten a descent batch so he didn't need to keep going back so often, Abrariel knew that would have look suspicious. He finished his meal and went to see if the Angel was awake. He found him in the living room, sitting on the sofa, wings limp and shoulders relaxed, he was reading a book by candlelight, the curtains drawn shut, he looked up as Abrariel entered the room.
"Good evening!" The Angel greeted, "had a good sleep?"
Abrariel still didn't quite trust him, he wasn't planning too, but when he looked in those green eyes, he could see nothing but care and love, not like his parents where there had always been hate mixed in with their love. He nodded to the question; it was hard not to trust the Angel a little. Just a little bit.
Abrariel looked around the living room, there wasn't much to see. Two sofas, a brown coffee table with a few books on it. A fireplace took up the back wall, the right wall by a large window, the left by photos of friends and family and two hanging plants.
"What's your name?"
The Angel's voice snapped Abrariel from his thoughts. "I will tell you after you tell me yours," his voice was hard, but not harsh, he was getting the point across that he still didn't fully trust him yet.
The Angel smiled. "Raziel," he answered, "you?"
"... Abrariel."
"Nice sounding name," Raziel murmured still with the same cherry smile, "I'm sure we will get along well, Abrariel."
Hearing his name come out of the Angel's mouth made Abrariel feel vulnerable, but also filled him with a strange sense of calm. His parents voice hadn't done as much. "We will see," he said, hiding a smile.
"Why are you up so late?" He asked the Angel.
"Just to tell you some ground rules," Raziel answered, his smile fading a little as his face became serious, "rules you need to follow."
The words reminded Abrariel of Jeremiah. Gentle but firm, that was what Jeremiah was like, he had always seemed to love him more than his parents did, he wondered if that was a show as well.
"What are the rules?" Abrariel asked cutting his thoughts off and looking at Raziel as he lent on the arm rest of the sofa.
"You're not to leave the house, not until I know it's safe for you. Two, don't wake me up when I'm sleeping, I can get very angry if you wake me up. And three, this one is important, if your allowed out, you're not to break anything, you're not to hurt anyone, don't defy what your told, if you get hungry, go to the butchers. No biting," as he went, Raziel's voice got more and more serious, and Abrariel knew he meant everything he said. Jeremiah had taught him that if someone was in charge, you never disobeyed, unless you knew it was wrong.
Abrariel nodded, "I understand, I won't break those rules. I swear by my fallen," it was the strongest promise you could make as a Vampire, and he hoped that Raziel knew it, he seemed too.
"Good!" Raziel's voice returned to cheeriness and he smiled at Abrariel, "now, I'm going to bed, follow those rules, keep your promise," he patted Abrariel on the shoulder as he left the room.
Abrariel looked after him, suddenly not wanting to be alone, it reminded him all too much of when his parents had left him behind. He got up and followed Raziel, he wanted to stay near the Angel for the first night.
Not because he trusted him.
He didn't.
Or that's what he told himself anyway as he headed to where Raziel had gone. The bedroom door was ajar, Abrariel pushed it open and stepped into the room. Raziel was bundled under the covers of his small, single bed, seemingly asleep, but he opened his eyes when Abrariel came into the room.
"Is there something you need?" Raziel asked, asked propping himself up on one elbow.
"I... I don't want to be alone tonight, is it alright if I stay with you?" Abrariel asked feeling a little embarrassed.
"Sure, so long as you're out before dawn, I do not want to wake up to a pile of ash," Raziel yawned as he snuggled back down.
Abrariel knew he would be in bed by dawn, after some food, but for now he stayed where he was, sitting on the floor leaning against the bed and listening to Raziel's slow breathing. It was soothing, or it might just have been the sound of it, either way, it calmed him. Abrariel missed his home. An old and abandoned mansion full of secrets had been his home for ten years, and now it was lost to him.
I'm going to adopt you...
Raziel's voice echoed in his mind. A new parent. It didn't fill Abrariel with too much joy, but it made him feel calm.
He was no longer alone.